As stated in our previous teaching series, no one is exempt for the storms of life. Trials, tragedies, and misfortunes will come to the righteous as well as the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45), the wise as well as the foolish (Matthew 7:24-27), the committed as well as the uncommitted (Luke 6:46-48). Therefore, we must learn how to rightly handle our storms.

Some common questions that we all ask are:• What are the reasons for storms coming against us?• Why does God allow trials, tragedies, and misfortunes to come our way?

In answering these questions for myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three main reasons why God sends storms our way:

1 Storms Help To Expose The Heart

The first reason for storms is that storms help to bring to the surface the real person. Circumstances that are hard and difficult will bring out the best and worst in people. When the terrorist attack happened to our nation on 9/11, we saw this timeless truth acted out right before our very eyes. Some of the greatest acts of heroism were demonstrated by New York’s Fire workers and Police force. It is not when everything is going right, but, rather, when everything seems to go wrong that the real person on inside rises to the surface. Trials, tragedies, and misfortunes have a way of exposing the true heart of a person.

Proverbs 6:23, in the New King James Version, tell us, “Reproofs of instruction are the way of life”. The American Standard Version reads, “And reproofs for discipline are the way of life”. And the New International Version says, “ And the corrections of discipline leads to life”.

To reprove means, “to expose, to surface, to correct”. Yes, the LORD uses the circumstances in life to expose, to bring to the surface the things in our hearts, with the intent to correct us and to bring us back on track.

How do you respond when things go wrong? Do you establish a strong testimony for Christ or do you allow the enemy to steal your opportunity to glorify Christ in the midst of your storm?

2 Storms Help To Open The Heart

The second reason is that storms help to open the heart of man to God.

In the past few decades, there were some huge storms that hit our nation of which were Hurricane Pamela, and Hurricane Katrina, to name a few... (and, yes, not to bias about gender, there was big bad Hurricane Andrew, too). Here in the islands, we have had our share of storms as well. There was Hurricane Iwa, and Hurricane Iniki.

One of the key spiritual points we can learn from storms is that, it is in the midst of difficulties and hard times, that hearts become open to the LORD. (The reason for this is that people will quickly realize in the midst of a huge, gigantic storm, how small and powerless they really are!)

Have you ever been in a big storm where the winds and the rain were so intense it knocked out the